Communication Skills: Essential To Social Media Careers

Social networking has become a primary form of communication, but it isn’t just a matter of tweeting and uploading food porn to Instagram. Employers seek out interns and new graduates who have sharp skills in utilizing these networks professionally. You’ll increase your expertise here in the Scripps College of Communication.

Here are marketing guru Jay Baer’s six essential social media skills:

Listening

Pattern recognition

Visual thinking

Statistical analysis

Improvisation

Public speaking

While all of these can fall under the umbrella of communication skills in one way or another, I’ll elaborate on three.

Listening is under-appreciated. To craft a an engaging, you must become aware of what your employer’s goal. Moreover, the network that you are trying to reach-consumers, perhaps-is uninterested in messages that companies push.

People consider themselves participants in communication, not just part of an audience. Listening requires an open communication style. You must know how to determine what’s important by understanding what people think and what they value. You must provide a conduit for online conversation. You must hear.

Visual thinking, as Baer notes, is a necessity in networks. Your knowledge of communication will shine. Helping your network to see your message through video, infographics, .gifs and other forms draws attention to a message that could be lost on the cluttered Internet.

Public speaking, says Baer, also belongs in your toolbox. Social media exchanges can lead to in-person presentations, and vice versa. Mastering the art of presentation and becoming comfortable in front of groups, whether in person or via Skype or YouTube, must be part of your repertoire.

When you venture onto the job market with the six skills Baer names, you will have an advantage over those who have been less purposeful. See more at convinceandconvert.com.